Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. PROGRESSIVE Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) president Takavafira Zhou has challenged all workers across the board to unite and challenge exploitation by employers amid concerns over low salaries in the public and private sectors.
Zhou made the remarks after the University of Zimbabwe lecturers on Thursday embarked on an indefinite strike over low salaries and poor working conditions.
As the strike rages on social media was awash with posts in which lecturers displayed bank account paltry credits of salaries that range from US$229 to US$250.
Zhou yesterday said it was clear that workers in Zimbabwe were underpaid.
“It is, therefore, imperative for workers to unite and fight against exploitation by the employers. Teachers, nurses, doctors were earning US$540 basic salary before October 2018, while lecturers were earning more than US$2 500 basic salary before October 2018,” he said.
“A common denominator is that capitalists [employers] have greatly culled salaries of employees, the majority of whom are getting on average US$250 and ZiG [local currency].
“It is imperative for employees in Zimbabwe to unite across the trade divide and union divide and deliver an undiluted message to employers that they are workers and not slaves.”
Zhou said that called for broad planning, greater organisation and mobilisation to demonstrate greater organisational ability, unity of purpose and critical force of workers united by misery.
He said isolated action by one union could easily be dealt with by the employer, but when employees are united, they increase the chances of ensuring that their legitimate demands for better salaries and conditions of service were met by employers.
“At any rate, there is no greater weapon than collective wisdom and action. Workers’ struggles thrive on solidarity, collaboration and partnership and a knowledgeable workforce can enhance these issues and fight several battles without losing one,” Zhou said.
“The level of poverty among workers calls for greater unity in planning and fighting for the improvement of salaries and conditions of service.
“As such, both leaders and members of various trades and unions must realise now more than before that we must unite as brothers and sisters in our various professions and unions or perish as fools.”
The unionist said Zimbabwean workers had nothing to lose, but better salaries and conditions of service to gain in a united front.
He said employers had to improve the salaries and conditions of service of employees in Zimbabwe as a matter of urgency or risk facing industrial action.
“When employers fail to meaningfully engage employees, guarantee industrial harmony and productivity, the ultimate result is industrial disharmony. Zimbabwean workers have been ill-treated for too long and indicators for industrial disharmony are widespread,” he said.
“Nurses, medical doctors, lecturers, and teachers are agitated and the labour powder keg inherent in Zimbabwe may explode soon. As Workers’ Day [May 1] is approaching, thousands of workers are agitating for industrial action against intransigent and arrogant employers.”
Zhou said instead of leading by example, government had taken the lead in exploiting workers, as civil servants are among the lowest paid in human history.
“Government must, therefore, urgently address the conditions of service of its employees and set a good example for improvement of salaries and conditions of service in the private sector and in particular in parastatals such as universities in Zimbabwe,” he said.
Worker protests have in recent years been thwarted by anti-riot police, arbitrary arrests and victimisation and dismissal by employers.
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